Farrukh Baig, a 7-Eleven franchisee, was sentenced to 87 months in prison for his role in a wire fraud, alien harboring, and identity theft scheme.
The sentence was handed down by the federal courthouse in Central Islip, New York, on an earlier date.
Baig pleaded guilty on September 22, 2014, to committing wire fraud and concealing and harboring illegal aliens employed at 7-Eleven franchise stores located throughout Long Island and Virginia.
The scheme, which generated over $182 million in proceeds from the 7-Eleven franchise stores, involved Baig hiring dozens of illegal aliens, equipping them with stolen identities, and housing them at residences he and his coconspirators owned.
The court also ordered Baig to pay $2.5 million in restitution for the back wages he stole from his workers and forfeit his rights to ten 7-Eleven stores in New York and four 7-Eleven stores in Virginia, as well as five houses in New York worth over $1.3 million.
“Using the 7-Eleven brand in our neighborhoods, the defendant exploited his alien employees, stealing their wages and requiring them to live in unregulated boarding houses,” said Acting United States Attorney Kelly T. Currie.
The government’s case is being prosecuted by the Office’s Business and Security Fraud Unit, and the investigation was a result of efforts by President Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.
Related Federal Cases
- Matthew James Addy, Wire Fraud, Bank Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, Pennsylvania 2022 · North Carolina
- Robert Walter Murray, Securities and Wire Fraud, New York 2016 · Virginia
- Sean OSullivan, Wire Fraud Conspiracy, New York 2023 · North Carolina
- Kris Roglieri, Wire Fraud, New York 2022 · North Carolina
- Lara Coleman, Mail and Wire Fraud, Virginia 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
White Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar CrimeWhite Collar Crime